Rather than bide his time until the official start of the offseason, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles addressed their newest and, inarguably, most pressing need–center–following the sudden retirement of Drew Dalman with a trade for Garrett Bradbury.
Dalman had seemingly solved a years-long issue for the Bears.
The Bears almost certainly have different visions in mind for Bradbury, but his experience in New England with the Patriots should prove extremely valuable.
Bears Land Ex-Vikings C Garrett Bradbury in Trade With Patriots
Bears Replace Drew Dalman With Garrett Bradbury
“Sources: The #Patriots are trading center Garrett Bradbury to the #Bears, giving them new center,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X on March 6. “The deal can’t officially be processed until the league year begins.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter updated the compensation, revealing that the Bears will send a 2027 seventh-round pick to New England for Bradbury.
Rapoport noted Bradbury’s importance to the Patriots’ Super Bowl run this past season.
Bradbury led all centers in snaps, per Pro Football Focus. The outlet graded Bradbury eighth in pass protection and 15th in overall offensive grade and run blocking during the 2025 regular season among pivots with at least 1,000 snaps played.
“The Garrett Bradbury trade to Chicago reunites him with his college teammate at NC State in Joe Thuney,” ESPN’s Field Yates posted on X.
“They were roommates when the team traveled for away games.”
98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth revealed the detail in 2025, noting that Bradbury said of Thuney–who reprised his moonlight role as left tackle for the Bears last season–“I can’t think of a better teammate, player.”
Likewise, Bradbury, the 18th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, arrives with plenty of praise from Patriots beat writers following him to Chicago.
Of course, the financial aspect is key, too.
“Garrett Bradbury owed $4.7M in 2026, the last year of a two-year, $9.5M deal,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler posted after the deal. “Getting a quality center in free agency would have cost Chicago more than that.”
Bears Rumor Gets Plot Twist
The Bears traded for Bradbury after seemingly missing out on veteran free agent center Tyler Biadasz. He agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, leaving the Bears with a significant void at the pivot following Dalman’s retirement.
That obviously did not mean the Bears were out of options.
It did reshuffle the board for anyone projecting what might come next in an already-unpredictable offseason.
Biadasz, who has spent the past two seasons with the Washington Commanders and began his career as a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, profiled as a strong option for the Bears. Except, despite Rapoport reporting the Bears’ interest, there was none.
“Biadasz, contrary to published reports, never visited the Bears, per a source with knowledge of the situation,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on March 6.
Florio noted that there was no record of the visit on the transaction report, even after two days.
“The timing and wording of the initial report made waves in some circles, given that it created the impression that the visit was happening before Biadasz was officially released by the Commanders,” Florio wrote. “While tampering is rampant in the NFL, blatant and obvious violations can quickly attract the attention of 345 Park Avenue.”
Florio capped the revelation with, “In this case, there’s no there there.” The Bears still have a tremendous hole up front following the loss of a player whom quarterback Caleb Williams dubbed the “Hulk” of his offensive line, which he refers to as “The Avengers.”
The Bears hope Bradbury helps Williams like he did his new quarterback’s draftmate and a 2025 MVP candidate in Drake Maye.
